DVDs become common as optical discs on which various information is recorded, such as content information, which is video information, audio information, sub-picture information or the like, reproduction control information and so on. According to a DVD standard, the video information (video data), the audio information (audio data) and the sub-picture information (sub-picture data) are packetized each with the reproduction control information (navigation data), and are multiplxed and recorded on a disc in a program stream format of MPEG 2 (Moving Picture Experts Group phase 2), which is a high performance encoding technology. Among them, the video information has data, which is compressed in a MPEG video format (ISO 13818-2), by one stream in one program stream. On the other hand, the audio information is recorded in a plurality of formats (i.e. linear PCM, AC-3, MPEG audio and so on) and can have data for up to 8 streams in one program stream. The sub-picture information is defined by a bitmap, and is compressed and recorded in a run length method, and can have data for up to 32 streams in one program stream.
In the case of the DVD, as described above, a plurality of streams of the selectable audio information (e.g. streams of a stereo sound, a surrounding sound, an original English sound, a dubbed Japanese sound, and the like) and a plurality of streams of the selectable sub picture information (e.g. streams of Japanese subtitle, English subtitle, and the like) are multiplexed and recorded, by using the program stream format, with respect to one stream of the video information in one movie or film, for example.
Moreover, in the DVD, it is possible to display a menu screen, in order to instruct the reproduction and stop of video images, use the various functions of a player and change the setting of the player. The menu screen is constructed by displaying a selectable button or the like on a still screen which corresponds to a so-called still picture. A user selects the button, to thereby execute a corresponding command, such as changing the sound, subtitle, or point of view, for example.